Random Thoughts On The Curling Thing
• Kudos are in order to the more than 250 volunteers who were needed to make the tournament such a success. Pictou County got some TV time across the nation, and if we still needed to prove we can get things done when we have to, we just proved it again. (By ‘we’, I mean ‘they’, of course).
• The old stereotype that curlers are a bunch of overweight beer-chuggers who are barely athletes ended long ago, but we couldn’t help but be impressed during last week’s Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling. Almost all were in great physical condition, which only makes sense; these were the best curlers in the world, and when you’re trying to be at the top of any sport, every little bit helps.
• The curlers were extremely happy with the ice conditions at the Pictou County Wellness Centre, which co-chair Jim Nix said is what curlers are most concerned about. They don’t care about the size of the dressing room, or the price of a little bitty slice of pizza (I do, but whatever) – curlers want good ice.
• I know of a couple of friends who’ve never curled, and had no intention of going to the Grand Slam of Curling this past week, but expressed a measure of pride that Pictou County was getting it done.
One of them recalled a time growing up when he had two TV channels. He would watch curling and was a fan of Colleen Jones, partly because she’s from Nova Scotia. I remarked that Jones wasn’t much into the social aspects of curling and had a reputation for not joining the other girls for coffee and cake during bonspiels and such. (She herself once told me this was the case, so I think we’re cool). He replied that, “she wasn’t there to make friends.”
Damn straight, and damn her eyes, to loosely quote Etta James. When Jones was getting ready to throw a rock and zeroed in on her target, she had the eyes of a cold-blooded predator. She looked kind of scary.
Other Random Sports Thoughts:
• The Canadian Football League playoffs are getting down to the nitty-gritty. The participants in the Nov. 24 Grey Cup will be decided on Sunday, when the Edmonton Eskimos take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Division final. I don’t have time to explain why the team from Edmonton is playing in the Eastern final), while out west, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will head into Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Edmonton isn’t very good, so Hamilton should beat them – perhaps easily, but you never know for sure until it happens. Meanwhile the Roughriders will use their rabid, loud fans out in Regina to help take them to the Grey Cup.
• Since Don Cherry has been fired, there is absolutely no reason to watch the first intermissions on Hockey Night in Canada. Who are they going to have on in his stead? Kelly Hrudey, a sure-fire cure for your insomnia problem?
In the days after Cherry was dismissed, it was interesting to hear of some online polls that showed a strong support for him.
I can’t say for sure that it’s all because they are taking a stand for freedom of speech, but there’s no denying that while some people don’t like or support him, there are many, many others who do.
He has, from what I have gathered over the years, a great sense of loyalty, and it stands to reason that people who have always appreciated Grapes will have his back now.
Kevin Adshade is a writer with The News. His column appears each week.
